Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6543074
-
Patent Number
6,543,074
-
Date Filed
Tuesday, November 13, 200122 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 8, 200321 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
Agents
- McKee, Voorhees & Sease, P.L.C.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 008 158
- 008 159
- 068 234
- 068 58
- 068 208
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A washing appliance includes a spinner basket having a curved labyrinth ring around its outer surface. The labyrinth ring blocks water from leaving the spinner basket during the washing cycle wherein the basket spins in a first direction. The labyrinth ring permits water to exit the spinner basket when it is rotating in the opposite direction during its spinning cycle.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a spinner basket having a labyrinth ring and method for using same.
Conventional clothes washing appliances utilize an inner basket having perforations therein and an outer basket or tub surrounding the inner basket. The washing fluid communicates with the outer tub through the perforations in the inner basket. This construction adds to the cost of the appliance because it requires both an outer tub and an inner basket. It also adds to the amount of heated water required and therefore uses a considerable amount of water and energy.
Therefore a primary object of the invention is the provision of an improved spinner basket having a labyrinth ring thereon and a method for using same.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an appliance that provides an optimum usage of water.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved spinner basket that provides an optimum usage of energy to heat water.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an appliance having a spinner basket that contains the water during the washing cycle, but which permits the water to drain from the spinner basket during the spin cycle.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of an improved spinner basket having a labyrinth ring which eliminates the need for a boot seal on the door of the appliance in order to seal the opening of the appliance.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a spinner basket having a labyrinth ring that is efficient in operation, durable in use, and less expensive to manufacture.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing objects may be achieved by a washing appliance having a spinner basket defining a basket cavity for holding a quantity of water and being mounted within the appliance for rotation about a non vertical spinner access. The spinner basket has a curved labyrinth ring extending around the outside of the spinner basket and positioned to rotate around the spinner access when the spinner basket is rotating. The labyrinth ring has a plurality of elongated curved labyrinths therein. Each of the labyrinths has a first end provided with an inlet opening providing communication from the basket cavity into the labyrinth. Each of the labyrinths also has an opposite second end with an outlet opening providing communication from the labyrinth to the exterior of the spinner basket.
A drive mechanism is connected to the spinner basket for rotating the spinner basket in a first rotational direction with the inlet openings trailing the outlet openings of each of the labyrinths. During rotation in this first rotational direction the quantity of water does not exit the outlet openings of the labyrinth.
The drive mechanism is capable of rotating the spinner basket in a second direction opposite from the first direction. When spinning in the second direction the quantity of water enters each of the labyrinths through the inlet openings and exits each of the labyrinths through the outlet openings to the exterior of the spinner basket.
Utilizing this construction minimizes the need for an outer tub, and requires only that there be a drain cavity for receiving the water exiting from the labyrinth ring during the spin cycle. Furthermore, it eliminates need for a boot seal between the door opening of the appliance and the outer tub or support wall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a sectional view of a washing appliance utilizing the spinner basket and labyrinth ring of the present invention.
FIG. 2
is a sectional view taken along line
2
—
2
of FIG.
1
.
FIG. 3
is a view similar to
FIG. 2
, but showing the rotation of the spinner basket in the opposite direction.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to
FIG. 1
, an appliance
10
includes an outer cabinet
12
comprising a front lower wall
14
, a front upper wall
16
, a top wall
18
, a console
20
and a rear wall
22
. An access opening
24
is provided in the upper front wall
16
. The access opening
24
is shown without a door mounted over it, but such a door would normally be provided.
Within cabinet
12
is a support wall
26
, rigidly attached within cabinet
12
by conventional means (not shown). Support wall
26
is concave in shape and forms an enclosed drain cavity
66
. A drain opening
32
is provided in the lower most portion of lower support frame
26
so as to drain any water contained within drain cavity
66
outwardly through a drain conduit
34
.
Mounted within the drain cavity
66
is a spinner basket
36
. Spinner basket
36
is shown to have a spherical wall
38
. However, it is also possible for the spinner basket
36
to have other configurations such as a cylindrical configuration with cylindrical side walls and a flat bottom wall, or other types of configurations. A hemispherical wall
27
surrounds the lower half of spinner basket
36
and is held in place by struts
31
. Spinner basket
36
includes at its upper end an access opening
40
. Motor
42
is connected to the bottom of the spinner basket by a shaft
30
for rotating the spinner basket in conventional fashion. Motor
42
is shown only schematically, but there are many different types of motors available commercially which cause the spinner basket
36
to rotate in one direction to cause a tumbling action and washing of the materials within the spinner basket
36
, and rotate in the opposite direction for spinning the fabrics within the spinner basket to remove moisture from them. Spinner basket
36
is adapted to rotate about a rotational axis
44
which is shown in the drawings to be approximately 45 degrees, but which can be varied substantially. Preferably it is not vertical.
Within the spinner basket
36
are a plurality of tumbling paddles, and at the bottom of the spinner basket
36
is a helical ridge
48
. Helical ridge
48
and the paddles
46
cause the fabrics within the spinner basket
36
to move in a tumbling action during the washing cycle so as to clean and wash those fabrics. A quantity of water
50
is provided in the lower most portion of the spinner basket
36
and this water also tumbles and is agitated by the paddles
46
and the helical ridge
48
.
Extending around the exterior of the spinner basket
36
is an annular labyrinth ring
52
. The labyrinth ring
52
is shown in cross section in
FIGS. 2 and 3
. It includes hollow walls which create three separate elongated arcuate labyrinths
54
. While three labyrinths
54
are shown the number of labyrinths
54
may be increased or decreased without detracting from the invention. These labyrinths
54
are cavities which are capable of containing water. At one end of each cavity
54
is an inlet opening
56
providing communication from the labyrinth
54
to the interior of the spinner basket
36
. At the other end of each labyrinth
54
is an outlet opening
58
providing communication from the labyrinth
54
to the exterior of the spinner basket
36
. Screens
60
extend over the inlet openings
56
to prevent larger objects from passing through inlet openings
56
, but being capable of permitting water to pass through the inlet openings
56
.
Labyrinth ring
52
is shown to be located in a single plane, but it could be located in more than one plane. For example it could extend spirally upward from lowest portion of spinner basket
36
toward the openings
56
of spinner basket
36
.
In operation, the water
50
is placed within the spinner basket
36
at a level comparable to that shown in
FIGS. 1-3
. It should be noted that the spinner basket of the present invention uses a minimum amount of water as compared to vertical axis washers which must be filled to a much greater depth. After the water
50
has been placed in the spinner basket
36
, it remains within that basket while the basket is in a stationary condition. The reason for this is that there are no perforations in the spinner basket
36
as is the case with most conventional spinner baskets. Instead the only openings in spinner basket
36
are the inlet openings
56
which provide communication into the labyrinths
54
. When the spinner basket
36
is stationery as shown in
FIG. 2
, the labyrinths
54
are partially filled with water, but they are incapable of draining water out of the labyrinth through the outlet opening
54
.
During the washing cycle the spinner basket
36
is rotated in the direction shown by clockwise arrow
62
in FIG.
2
. When rotating in this direction, the water
50
is not permitted to exit through the outlet openings
58
. Instead the water fills the labyrinth
54
and as the inlet opening
56
rises on the left side of the rotation of the device, the water drains out of the labyrinth back into the spinner basket. Thus during the washing cycle the water is agitated in a tumbling action but is not permitted to exit through the outlet openings
58
. The fabrics within the spinner basket
36
are tumbled and washed.
During the spinning cycle of the spinner basket
36
, the motor
42
is reversed so as to rotate the spinner basket in the direction shown by counterclockwise arrow
64
in FIG.
3
. When rotating in this direction, the labyrinths
54
act as scoops, scooping the water into each labyrinth
54
through opening
60
and permitting the water to exit through outlet opening
58
. While
FIG. 3
shows the water
50
resting in the bottom of the spinner basket
36
, during rotation of the spinner basket
36
the water is forced by centrifugal force outwardly around the circumference of the inside of the spinner basket
36
. However, the water is permitted to exit through the openings
56
into the labyrinths
54
and outwardly through the outlet openings
58
.
After the water exits through the outlet opening
58
it enters drain cavity
66
and because of gravity drains downwardly through drain opening
32
into drain conduit
34
. The high speed rotation of the spinner basket
36
forces a substantial amount of water out of the fabrics and outwardly through the drain conduit
34
.
An important feature of the present invention is that the spinner basket does not have traditional perforations in it which permit the water to flow freely between the drain cavity
66
and the interior of the spinner basket
36
. Instead all of the water is contained within the spinner basket
36
while the basket is at rest and while it is in its washing cycle. This reduces the amount of water necessary. In prior devices the amount of water necessary to maintain a proper level within the spinner basket
36
required additional water to fill not only the spinner basket
36
but also to fill the tub surrounding the spinner basket
36
to the same level. In the present invention, only enough water to fill spinner basket
36
to the level
50
is required.
Because the spinner basket uses less water it is also energy efficient because it requires less energy to heat the smaller amount of water.
Another advantage of the present invention is that there is not a requirement for a boot seal between the door opening of the appliance and the outer tub or support wall
26
. The water flows by gravity downwardly to the bottom of the spinner basket
36
, and it also flows by circumferential force during the spinning cycle toward the labyrinth ring
52
. Thus the need for a tight seal around the access opening
40
is minimized.
In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, these are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and the proportion of parts as well as in the substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as further defined in the following claims.
Claims
- 1. A washing appliance comprising:a spinner basket defining a basket cavity for holding a quantity of water and being mounted within said appliance for rotation about a non vertical spinner axis said spinner basket having a curved labyrinth ring extending around the outside of said spinner basket and positioned to rotate around said spinner axis when said spinner basket is rotating; said labyrinth ring having a plurality of elongated curved labyrinths therein; each of said labyrinths having a first end provided with an inlet opening providing communication from said basket cavity into said labyrinth and an opposite second end with an outlet opening providing communication from said labyrinth to the exterior of said spinner basket; drive mechanism connected to said spinner basket for rotating said spinner basket in a first rotational direction with said inlet openings trailing said outlet openings of each of said labyrinths, whereby said quantity of water does not exit said outlet openings of said labyrinth; said drive mechanism being capable of rotating said spinner basket in a second direction opposite from said first direction, whereby said quantity of water enters each of said labyrinths through said inlet openings and exits each of said labyrinths through said outlet openings to the exterior of said spinner basket.
- 2. A washing appliance according to claim 1 wherein said inlet openings and said outlet openings within each of said labyrinths are spaced a predetermined distance apart, said quantity of water engaging said spinner basket along a second distance that is equal to or less than said predetermined distance.
- 3. A washing appliance according to claim 1 wherein said spinner basket includes spherically shaped walls.
- 4. A washing appliance according to claim 1 wherein said spinner basket is cylindrical in shape and includes a cylindrical side wall and a bottom wall, said labyrinth ring extending around the outside of said cylindrical side wall.
- 5. A washing appliance according to claim 1 and further comprising a tub having a tub cavity, said spinner basket being mounted within said tub cavity, whereby said quantity of water will pass from said spinner cavity to said tub cavity through said outlet openings of said labyrinths during rotation of said spinner basket in said second direction.
- 6. A washing appliance according to claim 1 wherein said spinner basket includes spinner basket walls that are free from holes permitting said quantity of water to exit said spinner basket other than said inlet openings that provide communication from said spinner basket into said labyrinths of said labyrinth ring.
- 7. A washing appliance comprising:a washing appliance cabinet; a spinner basket mounted within said appliance cabinet for rotation about a non vertical spinner axis; said spinner basket having walls defining a spinner cavity, a plurality of water drain holes in said walls of said spinner basket and being positioned in a circular line extending around said spinner axis, said spinner basket walls being free from water drain holes other that those in said circular line; a labyrinth ring surrounding said spinner basket and registered with said circular line of said water drain holes; said labyrinth ring having a plurality of labyrinths therein, each of said labyrinths being in communication with one of said water drain holes and having an exit opening spaced a predetermined distance from said one water drain hole; a water drain being in communication with said exit openings of said labyrinth ring for receiving water therefrom and draining said water from said appliance; said labyrinth ring blocking the exit of water from said spinner basket when said spinner basket rotates in a first rotational direction and permitting the exit of water from said spinner basket into said drain when said spinner basket rotates in a second rotational direction opposite from said first rotational direction.
- 8. A method for washing and spin drying fabrics comprising:placing a quantity of water within a spinner basket adapted to rotate about a non vertical axis, said spinner basket having a labyrinth ring extending around the exterior thereof, said labyrinth ring having a plurality of labyrinths therein, each of said labyrinths having an inlet opening providing communication into the interior of said spinner basket, and an outlet opening providing communication from said labyrinth to the exterior of spinner basket; placing said fabrics within said spinner basket; rotating said spinner basket in a first direction for tumbling and washing said fabrics; using said labyrinth ring to block the exit of said quantity of water from said spinner basket during said rotation of said spinner basket in said first rotational direction; reversing the rotational direction of said spinner basket to a second rotational direction opposite from said first rotational direction; using said labyrinth ring to permit said quantity of water to exit said spinner basket during said reversed rotation of said spinner basket in said second rotational direction.
US Referenced Citations (8)